Ron and Dorothy Strasser
Kris, all,
I strongly urge folks to comment SOON in a positive manner to the proper
person at the county regarding this situation. What happens at Kruger's is
basically the same thing that takes place at the Pumpkin Patch. Neither one
of these have a negative impact on the Farm Environment of the island. A
wedding, bike race or evening dance is much less of an intrusion of nature
than the endless hours of shotgun blasts that go on for what seems like
forever in the fall, or the people that go to the beach in the summer and
drink way too much before driving on the narrow island roads at excessive
speeds. Kruger's is a mellow place for polite gatherings (with wedding or
cowbell) close to Portland. Our comments can help keep it so.
Thank you Candi, Kris and Don.
ron
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kris Schamp"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 4:48 PM
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Help save bike racing at Kruger's Farm
> All,
>
> For those who didn't see Candi's earlier reposting of Jonathan's recent
> article on bikeportland.org, please check
> http://tinyurl.com/ql95on
>
> While I am not familiar with all the legalities of this and whether Don
> Kruger is being singled out or not, I do know is that we are at risk of
> losing a unique bike race venue in a beautiful and very family-friendly
> setting close to Portland. I talked this morning with Don Kruger and they
> are indeed in the process of applying for a permit from Multnomah county
> that would allow them to continue organizing the various types of events
> that many of us have been enjoying in the past years. We are now in the
> phase of the process where the general public gets to speak up in favor or
> against granting Kruger's Farm such permit. So, if you like to continue to
> race your bike (or watch bike races) at Kruger's Farm, or you enjoyed one
> of the Thursday night summer concerts, while munching away on freshly
> picked berries, please write a friendly letter to Joanna Valencia at
> Multnomah County Land Use and Transportation Program and let her know how
> much a loss this would be, for the bike race
> community, for many people and families in the larger Portland area, and
> most of all for Sauvie Island. Make sure to tell her that this is not just
> about racing bikes or listening to music in open air, but that it's really
> about as much about the farm, feeling connected with our food sources,
> supporting a local farmer, having your family/kids discover the seasons
> and all the wonderful crops they grow at the farm, etc.
>
> The deadline for comments is June 10, so please act now. The County plans
> to make a decision within the next 30 days.
>
> Thanks for your support!
>
> ~Kris
>
> Kris Schamp
> Portland Racing
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
>
> As a former resident of Sauvie Island (7 years up until a couple months
> ago) I can ensure the group that it is much more complicated than what
> this article proposes. In no way has Kruger's farm been singled out, but
> rather his is one of the last farm stands on the island to get the correct
> permits. The Pumpkin Patch spearheaded the effort after the county went
> after them 3 or 4 years ago. Bella's Farm and Columbia Farms have just
> recently gone through the process.
>
> At stake is a zoning issue with EFU land (exclusive farm use). Many years
> ago, specific provisions were put in on Sauvie Island land in order to
> protect the rural feel of it. This includes provisions on how much of your
> net income can come from non-farming activities. I'm not an expert, but I
> believe this income was set at 80% farming, 20% other. Could be 90/10
> though.
>
> In Kruger's case, just like the pumpkin patch and others, things like Corn
> Mazes, hay rides, school field trips, weddings, concerts, etc., all fall
> into the "other income" category. This was designed to protect the nature
> of EFU zoning. Of course you can counteract this by growing more produce
> and raising your net income.
>
> There's a lot more to it then the article below, and I assure you that one
> neighbor's complaint to the county did not start this process. Really,
> it's just the county catching up with all the farms and making sure
> everybody plays by the same rules.
>
> I agree it would be a shame to lose the racing out there, but please just
> know that it’s a much more complicated issue than what appears below...
>
> Just my two cents...
>
> Josh
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
> Behalf Of Candi Murray
> Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 1:33 PM
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: [OBRA Chat] Found on Bike Portland
>
> Popular Sauvie Island event site could be in jeopardy
> Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on June 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
>
> Kruger’s Farm Market faces
> a permit upgrade that could
> mean no more bike races.
> (Photos (c) J. Maus)In recent years, Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island has
> hosted many popular cyclocross and mountain bike events. The events have
> drawn thousands of Portlanders and their families who take part in the fun
> and soak up the welcoming farm atmosphere just a few miles outside the
> city.
>
> But now those events are in jeopardy as Kruger’s Farm faces a permitting
> hurdle with Multnomah County’s land use planning department. The County is
> making Kruger apply for a new permit (that would allow the events) after a
> complaint was filed by one of Kruger’s neighbors. The County confirms this
> complaint, saying that it alleges Kruger is guilty of “non-permitted
> commercial uses and non-permitted construction of structures.”
>
> Story continues below
>
> advertisement
>
> If the permit is not granted, Kruger would be forced to put a stop to not
> only the bike races, but also the popular square dancing events, the
> summer
> concert series, weddings, and other public events held at the farm.
>
> Kruger currently operates the farm on a 1981 “farm stand” permit, and he
> admits that things have changed considerably since then. Speaking via
> telephone from his farm this morning, Kruger said the expansion of public
> events on his farm have brought “spectacular results” and that his
> purchase of the farm in January of 2008 “wouldn’t have been fathomable
> without them.”
>
> Farm owner Don Kruger.Kruger says he’s worked hard to turn his property
> into a successful and viable public farm and that he’s still operating
> within the bounds of legal statute. Unfortunately, Kruger says, because of
> his neighbor’s complaint, the County is now requiring him to get a new
> “Type 2″ farm stand permit that would allow the events to continue.
>
> In the meantime, the County has forced him to suspend all public events
> (they call it a “voluntary compliance agreement”, but Kruger pointed out
> that it wasn’t voluntary at all).
>
> Kruger says he has a great relationship with the County, but he’s a bit
> perplexed why they’ve singled him out. (I have yet to hear back from the
> County.)
>
> “Unfortunately, one upset neighbor has made it his crusade to stop me and
> the way things work sometimes is that just one negative person gets a lot
> of
> play.”
> - Don Kruger, owner of Kruger’s Farm Markets
> Event promoter and owner of Portland Racing, Kris Schamp, says the loss of
> Kruger’s Farm as a venue would be a serious blow to the community. “Venues
> on private land that are close to Portland are very hard to find.” At his
> “Kruger’s Crossing” event last year - one of four he put on at Kruger’s
> farm - Schamp drew nearly 700 racers and fans to Sauvie Island.
>
> Schamp says that he was very surprised to hear about the permit issue
> because his events have been, “Extremely smooth and low impact.”
>
> At this point, Kruger says a public showing of support (in the form of
> comments left with the County) is vital to him being granted the new
> permit.
> “I believe we have a chance, but it’s very important that the public
> weighs in right now,” he said.
>
> If he doesn’t get the expanded permit, Kruger says things would get much
> more difficult for his business. He estimates that one-third of his net
> income is on the line. Kruger says the loss would mean he couldn’t
> “continue to make the farm a public gathering place.” “That’s the
> irony,” he added, “I’m doing what people want, but the codes sometimes
> just don’t keep up with it.”
>
> Racing on Kruger’s property.“Unfortunately, one upset neighbor has made it
> his crusade to stop me and the way things work sometimes is that just one
> negative person gets a lot of play.”
>
> As for the bike races, Kruger told me he was at first “reluctant” to do
> them. “But when I did the first race,” he recalled, “I was really stunned
> at the kind of people that came out. They really cared about the farm,
> they
> had families, they were extremely respectful of the land… it was
> outstanding and I really thought it was helping our farm.”
>
> I have personally attended several bike events at Kruger’s Farm. My family
> and I not only enjoyed the racing, but we also spent money at the store
> and
> stopped at other Sauvie Island businesses and farms while we where there.
> I
> can’t imagine why the County would want to make that scenario less likely
> from happening in the future.
>
> To comment on Kruger’s permit, download the application (PDF, 700kb) for
> more information and submit your comments to:
>
> Joanna Valencia
> Multnomah County Land Use and Transportation Program
> 1600 SE 190th
> Portland, Oregon 97233
> joanna.valencia@co.multnomah.or.us
> Case # T2-09-22
>
> Candi
>
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